Caleb's Crossing

My goal is to read 100 books by the end of 2013.  I just finished book 17.

Caleb's Crossing by Geraldine Brooks
Summary:  Set in the late 1600's, this book is narrated by Bethia and follows her journey from daughter of a preacher/missionary attempting to convert Indians to Christianity through her frustration at the educational limits placed on her based on her gender, and finally into old age as we discover the path she chose to follow.  Although the title implies Caleb (the Christian name given to an Indian Bethia befriends) is the main character and he does factor prominently in the book, the story is really Bethia's.
*Note: although this is a fiction book, Caleb and some other males were real people and documents support the general idea of the situations that occurred in the book.  There is no record of female thoughts during this time period, of course, so Bethia is entirely fictional.
*Note: I used the term "Indian" instead of "Native American" in my summary to keep with the terminology of the book.

This book was absorbing but a bit slow in places.  It would be easiest to break down my review into the following sections:
Pages 1-50: Interesting but a bit slow.  It felt like I was reading for a long time but not many pages had passed.    
Pages 51-250: Engrossed.  Stayed up way too late because I wanted to see what happened next.
Pages 251-280:  Still interesting but getting slow again.  Anxiously awaiting the end.
Pages 281-the end:  Closing the book in tears.  

Recommended, especially for those who like historical fiction.  It may not grip you the entire time, but it's worth it for the emotional roller coaster this book will take you on.

Quote of the Blog:
"She was like a butterfly, full of color and vibrancy when she chose to open her wings, yet hardly visible when she closed them." ~ Geraldine Brooks (Caleb's Crossing)